Returning Home Illinois Policy Brief: Prisoner Reentry and Residential Mobility

• NCJ Number: 222754
• Author(s): Nancy La Vigne; Barbara Parthasarathy
• Date Published: August 2005
• Length: 6 pages
• Grant Number(s): 02-DB-BX-0017
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Sale Source: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded May 18, 2008

Annotation

This longitudinal study examined the prevalence of residential moves among released prisoners in Chicago up to 2 years after release, the characteristics of "movers," reasons for their moves, the characteristics of neighborhoods in which they lived, and whether or not "movers" were at greater risk of recidivism than "stayers."

Abstract

The study found that the prevalence of residential moves among released prisoners in Chicago was not high, with approximately 75 percent of the sample (n=145) reporting they had lived at only one address for between 1 and 2 years after their release. Movers were not at significantly greater risk of relapse and recidivism than stayers. In fact, moves were often constructive, in that reasons for the moves may have been to avoid family conflict, be closer to a job, or to be more independent by living with an intimate partner or friend. Although the distance moved was relatively far between residences, there was little difference in the quality of the neighborhoods. The distance involved in the moves, however, may have important implications for the identification and provision of services for movers. The site of substance abuse treatment facilities, for example, may be misguided if location decisions are based on released prisoners' initial addresses after release. Such decisions should be made based on address information maintained by the State's parole agency, assuming these addresses are regularly updated during the entire period of postrelease supervision. Three waves of postrelease interviews were conducted with released prisoners returning home to Chicago. Wave 1 data were collected at 2 to 3 months after release (n=296); wave 2 data were collected between 6 and 9 months after release (N=266); and wave 3 data were collected between 1 and 2 years after release (n=194). For comparisons across interview waves, the study examined data for the 145 respondents who completed all 3 postrelease interviews. 3 figures and 1 table